Top British Deathmatch performer Drew Parker has been announced for Combat Zone Wrestling’s Tournament of Death.
The 2018 iteration will be taking place Saturday June 9th from the ‘Ultraviolent Underground’ 179 Ebenezer Church Road in Townsend, DE. CZW’s TOD is one of the most violent events in the wrestling calendar; light tubes, planes of glass and even barbed wire trampolines are commonplace and blood is always guaranteed to be shed by the bucket load.
Last year saw former PROGRESS World Champion Jimmy Havoc take the crown at the first time of asking…whether Combat Zone intends on giving PROGRESS/ATTACK! star Parker his own opportunity to shine on one of the most violent playgrounds in wrestling remains to be seen.
Ladies and gentlemen, Paul Heyman is about to crossover from professional wrestling into the world of unscripted television.
Heyman, best known as the advocate and mouthpiece for WWE Universal champion Brock Lesnar, has inked a deal with Roy Bank’s Banca Studio to develop several new television series including one that will star the former ECW owner.
Bank is best known for producing reality series such as “The Apprentice”, “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” as well as “Flea Market Flip”. Now Bank is teaming up with Heyman to produce a new series of unscripted television shows including the debut project that will star the humble advocate.
“Against my strenuous objection, Roy Bank has decided our first collaborative project will be centered around me,” Heyman told The Wrap. “I have come to the educated conclusion Roy has made this decision based on a desire when pitching from the networks that we learn how to deal with rejection.”
All jokes aside, Heyman’s initial project with Bank remains shrouded in secrecy but the series will reportedly “straddle the line” between a talk show, opinion, comedy and pop culture.
“If you are a fan of Paul Heyman or you’re a fan of the energy that Paul Heyman exudes — even if you are not familiar with him directly — you’ll love this show,” Bank said about the planned series.
Then on April 8 Heyman will join Lesnar for his WrestleMania main event match against Roman Reigns.
Heyman’s work on his new television series won’t interfere with anything he does with WWE, although it’s entirely possible there would be some future crossover with his new show and the professional wrestling world.
Will you watch Paul Heyman in his new show? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
WWE Hall Of Famer Jake “The Snake” Roberts was recently interviewed on the Prime Time with Sean Mooney podcast to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Roberts first discussed how his poor relationship with his father, Aurelian “Grizzly” Smith, both angered and motivated him in his professional wrestling career:
“It was ultimately about anger. I was upset with my father. For me, to be in a locker room where there are crude jokes being made, but are being thrown at me because of my father. That blistered me. It made me feel so empty inside, and so full of shame. Shame is such a dangerous thing to deal with,” Roberts said.
“I had a tough time in the locker room because sometimes wrestlers have this hard-edge to them. There were a lot of things being said and done, and as I look back I wondered how I was able to overcome all of that.”
He then discussed how professional wrestling was his life 24/7, and he sometimes even wonders if he could’ve accomplished more:
“The way I was able to was because of the wrestling. It would consume my mind, heart and soul, it was 24/7 wrestling. I couldn’t trust anything else in life to be fair, because I never knew what was going to come to me next. Just to be able to focus on wrestling and have a great career, sometimes I think about how I could have accomplished so much more.
“Maybe I could have, but I feel that I did a hell of a lot,” Roberts said. “I had a pretty good career; rang some bells, and all of that. I am just so grateful for what I did do, and so grateful to of found the right woman to have children with and that my children do not have alcohol of drug issues. I am so grateful for that. My oldest daughter heads the largest rehab in the world.”
Prior to signing with WWE, Roberts earned his claim to fame during his run in Mid South Wrestling. His work caught the attention of Vince McMahon, who offered him a deal he was initially hesitant to accept. Eventually Roberts realized a WWE move was what was best for his career:
“I gave my notice to Mid-South, and they accepted it. Vince McMahon had tried to hire me before when I was in Georgia Championship Wrestling. I wanted to stay true to the NWA, so I didn’t go. Few years later I gave my notice after being screwed over again by Bill Watts. I picked up the phone and called New York and asked to speak with Vince McMahon,” Roberts explained.
“They said that Vince McMahon wasn’t going to be around for a few more weeks, and I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, I just gave my notice, so what am I going to do?’ I let my wife know that I couldn’t get a hold of him, and of course she didn’t want to hear that. As soon as I was going to head to the gym she said that Vince McMahon was on the phone, which I didn’t believe her.
“I went to the phone and he had told me to get on the airplane and fly up there, which was what I did. I sat down with him and we had a decent conversation, and that was that.”
You can listen to Roberts’ interview on the Prime Time with Sean Mooney podcast by clicking this link here.
– WWE Champion AJ Styles recently did an interview with Sky Sports to promote his upcoming title defense against Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania 34 next month in New Orleans. Styles was asked about his fans and peers labeling him the best wrestler in the world, and explains why he doesn’t agree with that sentiment:
“No, I would not agree with that,” Styles said. “I think there’s still a lot to be learned by AJ Styles and you can’t consider yourself to be the best when you’ve still got so much stuff to learn.”
You can read Styles’ full interview with Sky Sports by clicking this link here.
– Former WWE Champion Chris Jericho also did an interview of his own, this one with Milwaukee Magazine, to talk about his WWE status. “Y2J” explained why he likes not being under a full-time contract with WWE, as it allows him to do what he wants and manage other projects accordingly:
“I don’t do things for money anymore,” Jericho said. “I do it because I like to do it. It’s a good place, man, to do whatever I want to do and to enjoy all these different projects and make sure that fans can continue to get a lot of excitement out of what I do. It’s very important for me to make sure people can never pin down what Jericho is going to do next.”
You can read Jericho’s interview with the Milwaukee Magazine by clicking this link here.
British Boxer Anthony Ogogo will be making his professional wrestling debut for the Knight family owned World Association of Wrestling promotion (WAW) in May. The Olympic medallist will be teaming alongside brothers of WWE Superstar Paige; The UK Hooligans and Ricky Knight Jr at EPIC Studios in Norwich, England.
Self confessed wrestling superfan Ogogo is one of the stars of British Boxing, he holds a professional record of 11 wins and 1 loss. Ogogo also saw mainstream success as a cast member of the BBC’s answer to Dancing With The Stars: Strictly Come Dancing, so this is potentially a major mainstream story for WAW in the United Kingdom.
Ogogo appeared in an in-ring segment for the company back in February where he entered the ring and hit a Rock Bottom and Five Star Frog Splash to assist the UK Hooligans, you can check out the footage below:
Olympic medallist @AnthonyOgogo makes his wrestling debut alongside @TheUKHooligans & @Ricky_KnightJr this May at @EPICNorwich. Tickets available via our box office and website.
— World Association of Wrestling (@WAW_UK) March 24, 2018
WWE COO Triple H recently did an interview with Express to promote his WrestleMania 34 match; in which he’ll team up with Stephanie McMahon against the team of Ronda Rousey and Monday Night RAW General Manager Kurt Angle. This will be the first professional wrestling match of Rousey’s career. “The Game” brought up the interesting fact that this will be Stephanie’s first-ever match at WrestleMania:
“This is actually Steph’s first match at WrestleMania,” Triple H said. “The opportunity to step in the ring at WrestleMania with Steph is very exciting, she’s very excited about that opportunity but then to go back in time, so to speak, with Kurt and I … It’s awesome to see Kurt come back after all this time.”
Triple H then discussed how amazing its been to be a part of Rousey’s rise in the WWE, and what it’s going to be like when the four of them step into the ring on “The Grandest Stage Of Them All”:
“And then to step into the ring with probably one of the biggest signings from an outside notoriety standpoint and certainly one of the most amazing signings athletically is the signing of Ronda Rousey,” Triple H responded.
“For her to come in to the WWE, not just as an attraction, not just as somebody coming in and looking for a moment or shine on a different platform, but she really feels like she’s home and that WWE is going to be bigger than anything she’s done in her career and she’s really excited about being here and wanting this.
“To be there as a part of the launch of that, and that’s really what this is, it’s just the opportunity to get her going and to kind of launch what she’s going to bring to the table,” Triple H said.
“It’s really exciting and this will be a special one for a lot of reasons for me and it’s funny because it kind of encapsulates a lot of things for me. My relationship with Steph, my history with Kurt but also a long journey of conversation and everything else with Ronda.”
You can read Triple H’s full interview with Express by clicking this link here.
This year’s 2018 WWE Hall Of Fame class is complete. The inductees who will be honored the night prior to WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans are Goldberg, Mark Henry, The Dudley Boyz, Hillbilly Jim, Ivory, Jeff Jarrett, Warrior Award recipient Jarrius Robertson, and Celebrity Wing inductee Kid Rock. As with every year, WWE fans like to debate who has been snubbed from the honor for the past several years, and who got the call too soon before a more deserving candidate.
One name WWE fans bring up is none other than Kevin Sullivan; who has more than 50 years of experience in the business after his work with promotions such as CWF, NWA, and WCW. Sullivan was recently interviewed on the Pancakes And Powerslams Podcast to talk about several professional wrestling topics. He was asked about not yet being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame. Sullivan divulged that he doesn’t think he’ll ever go into the Hall Of Fame because he never worked for WWE:
“No, because I didn’t work [in the WWE],” said Sullivan. “I don’t think that’s ever gonna happen, and I don’t blame them. They have their own company, and their own stars. Hey, I’m gonna be honest with you, probably my time has passed [and WWE] will never even think of that.”
You can listen to Sullivan’s interview on the Pancakes And Powerslams show by clicking this link here.
Top UK based promotion Rev Pro has announced that New Japan Pro Wrestling will be taking their ‘Strong Style Evolved’ shows to the United Kingdom this June/July. The inaugural Strong Style Evolved event took place from Long Beach’s Walter Pyramid on March 25th and is available to view on NJPWWorld.com.
Simply dubbed #StrongStyleEvolvedUK no further information has been revealed at this time regarding Rev Pro’s involvement as a brand and whether this will be purely an NJPW based event. Rev Pro are known to hold a yearly ‘Global Wars’ event which sees NJPW talent face off against some of the UK’s best so this will hopefully not be affected.
Pre-sale tickets for the shows on Saturday June 30th in Milton Keynes’ Ice Arena and July 1st in Manchester’s Altrincham Arena will be available to purchase this Thursday and Friday at 9am respectively from Rev Pro’s official site.
The best wrestling in the world is coming to the UK
Sat June 30th – Milton Keynes Ice Arena Sun July 1st – Altrincham Arena, Greater Manchester#StrongStyleEvolvedUK
WWE Superstar Mandy Rose was recently interviewed by former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia on her podcast, Chasing Glory, to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Rose first discussed being brought up to the main roster recently with Paige and Sonya Deville as part of Absolution:
“It’s been great. So far, I can’t complain,” Rose said. “Being brought in with Absolution and our mentor, Paige, I think it’s really cool, and really full circle since she was our judge on Tough Enough, and she hated me. She was rough with me, but I get it.”
Before being on Tough Enough, Rose had no prior in-ring experience and took a lot of criticism from people who believed she was simply seeking fame and had absolutely no passion for wrestling. Rose said she’s working hard to prove those doubters wrong:
“For me, it was one of those things where I get it where people can be rough with me because I didn’t come from a professional wrestling background or anything like that, and the way I am perceived sometimes as someone who is just a model and is in here for the fame, and I get that, but I don’t think people get that it isn’t the case,” she said.
“Everything I have achieved in my life I worked very hard for; I didn’t just wake up and say this was handed to me, so it kind of bothered me because I was very sensitive to that, but then I thought, you know what, it’ll be more rewarding for me in the end when I prove to everyone that I can be the person that I want to be.
“Besides that, it was fun, but I think it’s awesome that it was full circle, and with her debut back from surgery and the fact that Sonya and I were with her [during Tough Enough] it’s crazy.”
Rose initially needed to prove Paige’s original conceptions about her wrong, as she only believed Rose was just a model or ‘Diva.’ Rose said she didn’t take offense to the criticism she received from Paige because she understood she lacked experience:
“It was more of the fact that she would judge me that I didn’t know how to wrestle, which I didn’t know how to wrestle at that time because I came from a fitness background; I didn’t have any pro-wrestling experience. That was the biggest thing, and I think that I am very different than Paige,” Rose said.
“Paige brought a lot to the women’s division, as the ‘anti-Diva’ which is great, but I kind of come off as the Diva, which I want to change that, I’m not just a Diva of course, we’re called superstars, and maybe that was what it had to do with. We are very different, but Paige didn’t get to know me personally; she just knew me from the show, and I wasn’t the nicest on the show, which I get. I was playing a character, especially towards the end when I played the b***h.”
You can listen to Rose’s interview on Chasing Glory by clicking this link here.
Germany’s top independent wrestling promotion wXw has announced an International Dream match between two of the top stars in Women’s wrestling.
wXw and PROGRESS Women’s Champion Toni Storm will be facing former WWE Superstar Tenille Dashwood/Emma at the ‘Superstars of Wrestling’ event on May 5th from Oberhausen in Germany.
Toni Storm took part in the inaugural Mae Young Classic and is currently slated as a potential star that WWE are keen to bring into the NXT system as soon as possible. Whilst no news has emerged over the past few months there are still a number of European based stars that WWE will be hoping to secure, including ICW’s Piper Niven/Viper and Kay Lee Ray.
– Braun Strowman recently took to Twitter to complain to the Wendy’s fast food restaurant chain for not ever having any grilled chicken ready. He joked that Alexa Bliss, who he noted he is filming an episode of Ride Along with, is trying to keep him calm before saying somebody might “get these hands”:
Former WWE Superstar Gangrel (better known for his time in The Brood with Edge and Christian during the Attitude Era) was recently interviewed by Chris Van Vliet of WSVN-TV Entertainment to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Gangrel first spoke about training Rusev and the Bulgarian’s amazing work ethic:
“He’s always been a good guy and had a funny personality but I think his wife is a good asset to him, she brings a lot of the clown out in him. He deserves everything he’s got, he’s like the American dream. He moved from Bulgaria to become a pro wrestler so he came to that wrestling school, he trained and he worked three jobs.
“We had classes back then in the morning and in the afternoon, so he would literally sleep in the car in between the classes. He wouldn’t go home so he wouldn’t miss the classes or miss a shift at work. He really, really put the time and the work in and was totally dedicated. I couldn’t be prouder of him.”
He then discussed his time with WWE and what it was like traveling with Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit:
“It was probably the most amazing thing out of my journeys. I never stopped learning between the two of them. Eddie, just from his family of wrestling and Chris coming out of Stampede Wrestling in Calgary which is where I first got my start. I was very driven and connected to his style because we worked with the same people.
“I just never stopped learning. They never stopped talking, they were learning off each other. We figured if we didn’t learn something every match or every car ride or every situation, then we didn’t need to be in wrestling.”
Finally, Gangrel also revealed that there was a secret message in The Brood’s theme song if you play it backwards:
“If you have the right skills and technology to play it backwards, the guy who did the music, Jim Johnston was a big Beatles fan, so it says ‘I buried Paul, walk with me.’”
– For the past several weeks John Cena has been attempting to lure The Undertaker into a match at WrestleMania 34. “The Leader Of The Cenation” has called out “The Deadman” with a number of promos on Monday Night RAW, but is now taking his assault to social media. He posted the following photo on Instagram of a Cena character (of sorts) poking the head of The Undertaker with a stick, saying “C’mon, do something…..”:
– WWE Champion AJ Styles competed for the first time last night in a live event in New Jersey since his match with Rusev on SmackDown Live on March 13th. Styles teamed up with The New Day to defeat Rusev, Aiden English, Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin. After their victory, Styles celebrated with The New Day in the ring and even Twerked. You can check out the video here:
Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett is having a pretty good start to 2018, and with the news of his Hall of Fame induction, the possibilities could be endless for him with the WWE.
Jarrett recently spoke with Nola.com to talk about various topics including his induction into the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame class, which is slated to go down on Friday, April 6th in New Orleans, Louisiana at the Smoothie King Center. Bill Goldberg will headline the class. Other names that have been confirmed to be inducted this year include Ivory, The Dudley Boyz, and Hillbilly Jim. “It was a Sunday morning in early January. It was all in about 60 seconds. I was shocked. It was a very surreal moment. And then pretty quickly, I had a real sense of gratitude and am very grateful and humbled. My family has been in the business for three generations. For me to get this honor, I’m just incredibly humbled about this situation.”
When pressed about who would be inducting him, Jarrett responded by stating, “Stay tuned for the announcement. I’m very excited about the guy that has been chosen.”
Jarrett added when he was asked about his relationship with the sports entertainment company, “It’s been nothing but spectacular reconnecting. Really looking forward to getting to New Orleans and not just seeing faces we see on camera every week but people behind the scenes.”
After departing from TNA Wrestling (now Impact Wrestling), in 2014, Jarrett founded another new promotion, Global Force Wrestling (GFW). During this interview, he was asked about what’s going on with GFW after he cut ties with Impact Wrestling last year.
“I’m working on some international projects as we speak. It is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best I’ve been in years. Feel great. And not just physically. Mentally and emotionally and spiritually as well. I’m really excited about the next chapter of my career. The international wrestling scene has so much growth opportunity – Asia, South America, Africa, Europe, all around the world.”
Jarrett also talked about wrestlers that were created in TNA and more. You can check that out by reading the full interview here.
WWE RAW Superstar Mandy Rose has had an interesting road to the spot that she is currently in on the main roster of the sports entertainment company.
She appeared on Lilian Garcia’s Chasing Glory podcast to talk about various topics including the path that she had to take to get to the position that she is in now. Prior to signing with the WWE, she was a bodybuilder and model.
Moving along, Rose was a contestant in the sixth season of the WWE competition WWE Tough Enough, which began airing in June 2015. She placed second overall behind winners Sara Lee and Josh Bredl. After the series had concluded, it was revealed that Rose had signed a five-year contract with the sports entertainment company.
During her appearance on the podcast, she reflected on butting heads with Paige on Tough Enough
“It was more of the fact that she would judge me that I didn’t know how to wrestle, which I didn’t know how to wrestle at that time because I came from a fitness background; I didn’t have any pro-wrestling experience.”
Rose added, “That was the biggest thing, and I think that I am very different than Paige. Paige brought a lot to the women’s division, as the ‘anti-Diva’ which is great, but I kind of come off as the Diva, which I want to change that, I’m not just a Diva of course, we’re called superstars, and maybe that was what it had to do with. We are very different, but Paige didn’t get to know me personally; she just knew me from the show, and I wasn’t the nicest on the show, which I get. I was playing a character, especially towards the end when I played the b***h.”
Rose previously had no in-ring experience when she was a competitor on Tough Enough. Thus, there were some fans that believed she was someone who is simply seeking fame instead of someone who loves wrestling. However, that is not the case as Rose went on record by stating that she is working hard to prove those misconceptions about her are wrong.
On the November 20, 2017, episode of Raw, Rose joined Sonya Deville and Paige as they attacked Sasha Banks, Bayley, Mickie James and Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss. This officially marked her main roster debut.
“It’s been great. So far, I can’t complain. Being brought in with Absolution and our mentor, Paige, I think it’s really cool, and really full circle since she was our judge on Tough Enough, and she hated me. She was rough with me, but I get it.”
Longtime WWE commentator Michael Cole has been the main announcer for the sports entertainment company for over a decade now.
He recently spoke with the Sky Sports Lock Up podcast to talk about various topics. As seen over the last few years, NXT TakeOver events have consistently stolen the show from WWE main roster pay-per-views.
It should be noted that these matches are practiced at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida in the weeks prior to the events in order to get the best match possible out of the performers.
Cole said that TakeOver is what he looks forward to the most during WrestleMania weekend outside of WrestleMania itself.
“I’d say, over the last two, three years, I think NXT TakeOver. I really love NXT. I have been part of that product since day one. I am on Triple H’s team to help build that brand. I work closely with the Announcers; we have some really good Announcers that came from that system; Corey Graves and Tom Phillips are two really good examples, so I’ve been part of that since it started. To me, that is where my heart lies, in NXT, especially for TakeOver because that sets the stage for WrestleMania, and to see these performers go out there in front of thousands and thousands of people in an incredible, pressure-filled weekend, and to see them each year steal the show, to me, it’s such a great moment.
Cole added, “To see the passion of the NXT Universe is incredible as well. To see where the brand has came in the last 5 years is absolutely incredible. That to me is always the highlight of my WrestleMania week.”
There are many talents that fans of the sports entertainment company want to see be called up to the main roster. Whether that means on SmackDown Live or the flagship show of the WWE, Monday Night Raw.
Cole was asked about who he would want to see be the latest among the superstar call-ups.
“I’m really big on the Iconic Duo of Billie [Kay] and Peyton [Royce]. They are on the cusp of something really great. They have developed quite the team; quite the ‘gimmick’ to use an old-school wrestlers term. I really think they are talented and I think there is going to be a place for them. Ember Moon is another one who I really think is going to be a player as part of the Women’s Evolution on the big roster, and I really have been impressed with the NXT Champion, Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas; he really has taken his game to a different level. His viciousness, his aggressiveness, he’s really going to be a player, too.
Cole also stated, “Finally, Aleister Black; I’ve followed his career for a decade now. I was so glad when we announced last year that he was going to be part of our programming. He is a guy who I really believe is going to take this brand to another level.”
WWE is pulling out all of the stops for their upcoming the Greatest Royal Rumble event. The sports entertainment company will be holding the show at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday, April 27. For the first time ever, the Royal Rumble match will feature 50 WWE Superstars.
On Monday morning, (March 26, 2018), WWE issued a press release to announce three new matches for the upcoming event.
Triple H vs. John Cena in a singles match, The Hardys vs. RAW Tag Team Champions The Bar and a Ladder Match with Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz.
Roman Reigns, AJ Styles, Braun Strowman, The New Day, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, and Shinsuke Nakamura have already been announced for the show. Although the sports entertainment company has yet to come out and officially announce it, the belief is that this event will indeed be broadcasted on the WWE Network.
It’s also been reported that WWE is making “every move possible” to ensure that the first event as part of that agreement is to put on a big show.
It’s been well documented that Jeff Hardy has been cleared to return to in-ring action and has been working out at the WWE Performance Center to prepare for his return.
Advertisement for an upcoming WWE live event may have spoiled the outcome of a key match at WrestleMania 34.
The sports entertainment company has already announced that The Miz will be defending his Intercontinental Championship at Wrestlemania 34 in a triple threat match. He will be facing Seth Rollins and Finn Balor.
The WWE is slated to run an upcoming event at the SSE Arena in Belfast in May, and the arena recently sent out a tweet to promote the live event that indicates that it will be Rollins facing Balor for the Intercontinental Title.
The wording of the tweet has some fans thinking this means Rollins will be Intercontinental Champion. The tweet has since been deleted, but you can see a screenshot of it below. It should be noted that it’s possible that this was an error on the part of the arena’s social media department.
WrestleMania 34 is set to be held on Sunday, April 8, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. This event airs on pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network. It’s the most successful and longest-running professional wrestling event in history. Both Raw and SmackDown rosters will be featured.
As seen at Sunday’s New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Strong Style Evolved show that took place at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California and aired live on AXS TV in the United States and worldwide on NJPW World, Cody Rhodes put on another star-studded performance.
Fans have picked up on the fact that not only was Cody wearing a weightlifting belt while he competed in the ring, but Matt Jackson of The Young Bucks was also wearing a belt.
Dave Meltzer gave some insight into this situation and noted on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that Cody may have worked the match with an injury or the members of The Bullet Club are just trying to market the belts.
It’s possible that they are just trying to sell the belts as the group does sell various products. As of this writing, this should be considered a rumor.
In case you missed our coverage of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Strong Style Evolved show, fear not as we have you covered with some of the best coverage on the web. You can check out the results from the big event here.
Mark Henry says he’s retired but he’s not ruling out a return to the ring either.
Whether or not Henry is officially done wrestling has been a topic of conversation the last few months. Rumors circulated earlier this year that he was retired but Henry seemed to half-heartidly deny those rumors. Henry clarified that he can’t see returning in the next year or two but something could happen down the line to bring him out of retirement.
He spoke to TMZ recently on the subject:
Mark Henry on Retirement
“If it was a perfect circumstance and something happened down the road, then yeah. Sometime this year and next year, you can put it out your mind.”
Mark Henry will be part of the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2018.
The road to WrestleMania continued tonight as WWE Raw rolls into Cleveland, Ohio at the Quicken Loans Arena. WWE is advertising the following items for the show:
– John Cena takes on The Big Red Machine
– Fallout from last week’s Ultiamte Deletion. What is “Woken” Matt’s next move?
– Braun Strowman still needs a partner for his tag title match against The Bar at WrestleMania.
– Are Stephanie McMahon & Triple H ready for Ronda Rousey & Kurt Angle?
– Will Roman Reigns be 100 percent for WrestleMania?
– Nia Jax’s pursuit of Alexa Bliss continues
– Does Finn Bálor owe Seth Rollins a rematch?
As always, join us here tonight for WWE RAW Results & Live Discussion.
Catch up on the top moments from last week’s show:
33-year-old Baron Corbin spent 4 years in developmental trying to get to the main roster. According to him, he thought it wouldn’t take more than a year. In fact, Corbin thought wrestling would be a lot easier altogether.
Corbin spoke with Sky Sports recently about his WWE career, his transition from football, and several other topics.
Baron Corbin Interview with Sky Sports
“Honestly, I was a little bit arrogant because I came in and thought it was going to be easy and that I’d be on television in a year,” Corbin told reporters.
“Then you realize how many different things it takes to become a successful superstar, and it really is a rude awakening. I thought it would take a year, but it was three and a half years later that I got called up (to the main roster). It is not easy.”
Corbin has had an up-and-down career on the main roster so far. He’s won both the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and the Money in the Bank briefcase. Although he was unsuccessful trying to cash in the briefcase against Jinder Mahal.
“The cool thing is that people have come in from UFC or from the NFL thinking that it’s going to be easy,” Corbin continued. “It instantly demands respect from them and it’s really cool to be a part of seeing the realism of how much this can hurt set in.”
Aaron Solow, who is engaged to WWE Superstar, Bayley, publically voiced his frustration with WrestleCircus recently. On Friday night, Solow worked for the promotion in Austin, TX and the commentary team referred to him as “Mr. Bayley”.
The show was broadcast on WrestleCircus’ Twitch channel for subscribers. It also featured Pentagon, Fenix, Teddy Hart, Shane Strickland, Tessa Blanchard and Chelsea Green.
Solow is from the San Fransico area and was trained by Davey Richards. He’s been used as enhancement talent regularly on WWE programming, most recently in January in a tag-team loss to the Revival. He frequently teams with Ricky Starks, sometimes under the name “Extra Talented”.
Solow has wrestled several times for WrestleCircus in the past. He worked a set of AroLucha tapings recently and has also wrestled for Progress.
WWE’s Cathy Kelley was at the Kid’s Choice Awards recently. John Cena was hosting the event and Mike Tyson was also in attendance. Kelley caught up with Tyson to ask him about possibly returning to WWE someday and his thoughts on Ronda Rousey.
“I’m always willing to come back. I love the WWE, yes.” – Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson
“I think she’s going to do well”, Tyson said when asked how thinks Ronda Rousey will fare in WWE. Tyson knows what it is like to come in from another sport and be asked to perform at WrestleMania. He played a big role at WrestleMania 14 in the main event between Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin.
Tyson was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.
During tonight’s NJPW Strong Style Evolved event, it was announced that NJPW will once again be returning to California in 2018.
NJPW will host the return of the G1 Special on Saturday, July 7th. The event will take place at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California. Cow Palace can potentially hold 13,000+, which is a massive increase from the 2,300 fans in attendance for last year’s G1 Specials at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center.
WWE is holding a Live Event on July 7th at Madison Square Garden and Ronda Rousey is billed to make her MSG debut. UFC 226 is also airing on the same date.
We noted a couple of weeks ago that NJPW had a preliminary hold on July 7th for the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Tickets for tonight’s Strong Style Evolved event at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach sold out in 20 minutes. The July 7th show is being dubbed “Fighting Spirit Unleashed”.
